Ranchi

Five people, including a couple, were arrested for allegedly killing a man in Ranchi, police said on Monday.

The deceased was identified as Asif Ansari (30), a resident of Raja Colony in Kantatoli. His body was recovered from a well in the Gadigaon area under Khelgaon police station limits on Thursday, they said.

DSP Sadar Sanjeev Besra said, "We arrested five people, including a couple, on Saturday. Initial investigation revealed that the victim was killed by crushing him with stones, but the autopsy report revealed that Ansari was first shot dead with a bullet before being crushed with stones."

During the investigation, it came to light that Asif Ansari had been in a love relationship with woman, a resident of Anand Vihar, for the past 15–16 years. Because of this, her husband, Johnson Minj (35), along with his friend Deepak Agarwal (36), plotted the murder. Minj paid Rs 4 lakh to Agarwal to eliminate Asif Ansari, the DSP said.

READ MORE: We want to ensure that no Hajj pilgrim dies: Kiren Rijiju

Minj additionally paid Rs 1.60 lakh to Prince Kumar (22) and Rs 2.40 lakh to Prem Lakra (44). During interrogation, they confessed to the crime, and all were sent to judicial custody on Sunday.

The police have seized a country-made pistol, two bikes, a mobile phone, blood-stained clothes, and other items.